And Christmas Makes Right
by QuasiOuster
Summary: After a rough day, Jo unwinds and enjoys the holiday.


**This is a holiday gift for a good friend. I only recently came to this show but I hope I captured the essence of the characters. I just caught up with the Christmas show and thought I'd take one moment and run with it. Suggestions and feedback are always welcome. As usual, I don't own anything about the show. Enjoy and thanks for reading!**

**And Christmas Makes Right**

Jo closed the door quietly behind her, failing miserably to hide the hint of a smile on her lips. She had spent a late evening at Cafe Diem amongst her friends and adopted family in Eureka, watching them enjoy what the holiday had become for them this year. It had been wonderful to see the reception her gifts had received. That she could make her friends happy was the best part of the holidays for her. Although Zoe had figured her out, she was pretty sure that no one else was the wiser to her spirited ways. In fact, Carter and especially Fargo had made a special effort to get her into the holiday spirit thinking she was still in Scrooge mode.

They had sat around the fire telling holiday stories and stuffing themselves with a variety of no doubt completely unhealthy snacks and drinks. They had all laughed at Carter and Kevin's eggnog drinking contest and completely lost it when the final leg resulted in Zane getting doused in the Christmas beverage. He had taken it good naturedly though. His Santa t-shirt would live to see another Christmas.

Zoe was the first to head out having planned a last minute Christmas Eve sleepover with her old friends that she didn't get to see too much of and missed. Fargo and Zane were the next to go both claiming to have scintillating Christmas plans. Only Zane was able to claim such convincingly as no one expected Fargo to have scrounged up a late night date without using his imagination and a fair amount of icky technology. Henry had an early trip in the morning to meet Grace and her family so Jo departed with him leaving Allison and Carter to head out with Kevin (and a sleeping Jenna) as a cute little family. She was pretty sure they wouldn't be sleeping in the next morning with two excited kids clamoring to open presents at the crack of dawn.

Despite the craziness of the day, Jo was feeling surprisingly satisfied. True, pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong but it wouldn't be Eureka if that weren't true. It was still a relief to have the day over with. With the crazy scientists mostly tucked away in their beds, she could finally relax and openly enjoy one of her most favorite times of the year.

Jo glanced over at the soft glow coming from the fireplace in the living room having been turned on with the flick of a switch. She missed her old house but the perks of her new one weren't something she was going to take for granted. She walked idly upstairs unbuttoning her jacket as she went. It was good to get out of the confines of her usual power suit and think about the comforts ahead. When she entered her bedroom, her pajamas were practically laid out on the bed and she smiled just thinking about how great it was going to feel putting them on. She went to the bathroom and washed up before sliding up the indescribably warm flannel pants and matching red and black camisole tank top. She ran a quick comb through her loose hair and slipped on her favorite houseshoes before heading back downstairs. She kept her house pretty warm but it didn't hurt to have comfy pj's and fuzzy slippers as backup.

Nine months ago, she would not have predicted that she would be as contented as she was at the moment. Her world had been turned upside down. She had had her heart broken into a thousand pieces while she watched love bloom for her friends around her. Not that her misery would ever keep her from being thrilled for Carter and Henry who both deserved all of the newfound happiness they had discovered since things had changed on Founder's Day. They had both had disappointments so much more intense than hers and deserved to put a few things in the win column for a change. But it had been hard getting through each day knowing that the love and affection she had come to really rely upon was gone. And not only had it gone but completely reversed in away. She had gone from having the most irritating but adorable man in love with her to having that same incorrigible genius hating her guts. Well, not so much hating her but not taking her seriously. He thought she was one way, hell, she HAD been one way as far as he knew. But she was so much more now and it was because of him.

Not that she could ever tell him that.

She understood why Henry had to tell Grace but their situation wasn't the same as hers. By the time all had been revealed, Henry and Grace were both in "that place." They were perfect for each other and when Henry quickly realized that, he grabbed ahold of it and didn't let go. The romantic in Jo still couldn't help but melt a little at that. But she and Zane were completely different. For one, they could not begin to trust this version of Zane with secrets that could get them all killed. Not to mention that he had pretty much hated her for as long as he'd been in Eureka, and things weren't warm and fuzzy with the other four either. Maybe it had been a sexual tension, attention grabbing kind of dislike but it was intense and real. There was no hoping that things could possibly develop the way they had for her and her Zane. There was too much bad history between the two in this timeline.

But slowly things had improved, mostly because she couldn't bear to live in a universe where the man with whom she had truly wanted to share her life despised her. That they could forge any kind of collegial existence was in and of itself a miracle.

Jo walked silently down the stairs to the kitchen noting that her Christmas tree lights were still twinkling festively into the late evening. If anyone visited her house, they'd know immediately that her bah humbug attitude was just a front. Her tree was particularly majestic to go along with the carefully hung stockings and holiday decor. She even had a bunch of presents still under the tree that she planned to deliver tomorrow, a fair number for Kevin and Jenna which she was sure Allison would kill her for later. But what were aunts for if not to buy noisy, annoying toys that kids love but drive parents crazy?

In the kitchen, her mug of hot chocolate was waiting for her complete with a peppermint stick and little animal crackers to go with them. Jo beamed at the detail. This holiday hadn't turned out the way that she expected but she was determined to make the best of it. She took a sip of the steaming hot chocolate and closed her eyes in pleasure at the perfect preparation. She had had more of Vincent's insanely delicious spiked eggnog than she should have but a perfect cup of hot chocolate would get her every time.

A small chirp broke her out of her thoughts and she looked around for where she had last put her home phone. Finding it on the counter across from the charger, she made a mental note to place it back before it went dead and then wondered who could be calling her at this hour.

"Hello?" she answered testily.

"What kind of a way is that for you to answer the phone? Were you raised by wolves?"

Jo's face broke out into the widest of smiles as she registered instantly who was on the other end of the line.

"Not by wolves per se but I have to admit my older brothers weren't exactly the most civilized creatures to ever walk the planet."

Jo's brother Adam chucked over the line. "Now that, I'd have to admit, is the truest thing I've heard in a while." He sounded as far away as she imagined he was but she could still recognize all of the wonderful things about him that warmed her heart. He was the youngest of her older brothers and the one with which she had fought the most violently when they were kids. She imagined that he was the one who really made her the fighter she was today. He made her work for everything growing up.

"How's the runt doing these days? It's been a long time."

"One of these days I'm going to make you stop calling me that, dork." Of course, that day would likely never come, not that either of them really wanted it to. "Where are you? How did you get a hold of me?" She couldn't hide her excitement from him. She missed him so much and didn't talk to him, or any of her brothers, nearly as much as she'd like.

"The usual place, the usual job," he explained. Neither of them needed to expand on that and didn't want to spend their conversation discussing it. "I got a chance to holler at those other two jerks you're related to and they're both doing ok. Better than ok in Michael's case. You should have seen the gal he's hooked up with."

They both laughed thinking about the latest conquest of their ladies' man brother who despite the danger and commitment of his chosen profession, always managed to snag models and socialites as his extracurricular partners. But it was good for Jo to hear that they were doing alright. It was hard for her being in Eureka thinking about her family on the front line. Holidays were the worst but knowing that they were all safe and happy was an even better present than she could ask for.

"Well, it's a good thing none of you guys are around because then I'd have to get you presents and who's got time to waste on the likes of you?"

"Yeah right, runt. More like you don't have to go trolling for the perfect gift. I'm on to your tricks. But I'm not going to lie. You always had an uncanny ability to get it right. I damn sure miss finding out what you'd come up with." He was joking with her of course, but she could tell that he missed her too and was sad not to be with her for Christmas yet again.

She hoped her happiness was apparent in her voice when she finally responded. "What are you kidding? Just hearing your voice right now is the best thing in the world. I'm glad you called, big brother," she added soberly.

"Wow, Josefina. That's amazing." he said through their distant connection. "You mean to tell me that life is so boring for you that you'd look forward to a call from little ole me? I'm touched, truly touched," he mock cried. That elicited an exasperated chuckle from Jo.

"I don't know why I bother sometimes. I should leave you to rot, all of you. In fact, that care package that I sent that's waiting for you? I'm going to see who I need to call to get it back. Maybe Bubba would like it instead," referring to their oldest brother David.

"What!" Adam responded incredulously. "That ungrateful jerk? That's it, you're cut off Lupo."

"I'm weeping in my hot chocolate," she responded taking a loud slurp of her drink.

"That's cold. You always were such a meanie. But seriously runt, are you doing ok?"

"I'm good, you?"

"Never better, darling. I gotta run though. Other folks are trying to get through tonight. You take care of yourself over there. I heard from a friend of a friend of a friend that your gig isn't always the safest place on the planet either."

"Hey, I'm good. You just worry about making it back to your care package before I decide to recall it," she joked. "I love you, dork. Take care of yourself too." His call was the most wonderful of surprises but it was bittersweet like most everything about her life these days.

"I love you too, little sis. Have a shot of ouzo for the Lupo boys. Bye runt."

"You know I will. Bye."

Jo hung up her phone and sighed over her hot chocolate, stirring it idly with the peppermint stick. She smiled dreamily as she headed for her couch to lounge in front of the fire. There were a lot things that she missed about her old life but there were also a lot of things that she was thankful for as well.

She closed her eyes and took another sip of the cooled but still warm drink and felt the flames from the fireplace warm her. The dimly lit room was like a sanctuary and she felt safe just sitting there soaking up the small pleasures that made her happy to be alive. As she tilted her head back another wave of warmth spread through her, starting first at her neck then her shoulders before finally the entire left side of her body was engulfed in heat. She reveled in it, soaking it up and let it ignite the rest of her dormant senses. She practically purred her satisfaction and comfort before catching herself.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you missed me," a voice whispered in her ear. "But that can't be since you took your sweet time getting back here."

Jo slowly opened her eyes to see Zane Donovan, resident non-conformist and not-so-occasional pain in her ass, intently holding her gaze with his twinkling baby blues filled with mischief. Instead of expressing surprise at his stealthy entrance, her good mood provoked her to gently grab him by the shirt and bring his lips to her own. Zane had no problem answering her unspoken call, instantly elevating their encounter by wrapping both arms around her. When you were carrying on a secret romance, it was best to just go with the more sexy moments when they're presented.

After leaving Cafe Diem, he had headed home to clean up from the unfortunate egg nog incident and then drove over to Jo's house, covertly locking his bike up in her storage space in back. He wasn't blind to the hectic day she had had with having to babysit all of the crazy residents of Eureka who felt it necessary to get too out of control during the holidays. He had only seen her for one small moment at the party while he had been shamelessly flirting in his role as Santa's way cooler half. Jo had been appropriately annoyed by it he could tell but at that point she was pretty annoyed by everything going on at the party. And the incident of the day didn't disappoint in fulfilling her prophecy of disaster.

He figured the least he could do was try to take some of the pressure off. So he had warmed up her house for her, putting on the fire and programming her kitchen mainframe to prepare her special holiday hot chocolate when she returned. He had also laid out some pajamas for her, knowing that she'd want to be warm and comfortable when she returned but also wanting a little sexiness for himself. He had surprised her with the set the day before and had been very much looking forward to her modeling it. When he heard her come in, he had been in the pantry storing away some groceries and he figured she'd come back downstairs when she was settled in.

She had hoped he'd be there. They had both been looking forward to tonight all week, spending their first Christmas together. Well, it was more his first Christmas with her as far as he knew but they didn't talk too much about such things.

When they had first started seeing each other at the end of summer, it was just as friends to try to turn over a new leaf in their relationship. After he had confronted her, she steadfastly refused to talk about her old life with him and he quickly stopped asking because it was hurting their fragile truce. He had heard Grace Monroe had developed a device that he was pretty sure she and Henry had used to connect across the timelines but he never brought it up. Truth be told, he thought that was pretty much cheating and he suspected Jo felt the same way or she would have mentioned it herself. They were both different people to each other and they owed it to the relationship to start fresh with the least amount of expectations possible. Of course, it was a lot harder for Jo on that front, and although it was antithetical to his nature, he tried to be sensitive about it.

But a platonic friendship never had a chance with them. Their was too much attraction and too much promise of what could be, either known or suspected but always unstated. Still, Jo hadn't wanted to hurt her good friend even if Zoe hadn't been too upset when Zane cleared the air between them shortly before she left back to college. He was too old for her and lived across the country and then there was that whole Lucas factor that she still needed to deal with.

Jo had remained extremely concerned in not wanting to hurt Zoe's feelings so it was a tense time when their attraction was threatening to bubble over for want of resolution. In the end, they couldn't deny each other and a not so innocent visit to drop off some security specs for a project turned into a passion filled grope-fest in Jo's kitchen. There had first been snarking and then yelling and then no words at all as he had grabbed her to him and kissed her with all the frustrating, possessive and erotic feelings he felt for her. The most surprising thing for him was that she had kissed him back and since that day, they had moved forward. None of the backtracking he had expected ever came to pass. Instead a sense of relief and a wonder at second chances defined the relationship for both of them.

He got to experience how fun she could be and how much he craved the nurturing with which she seemed to shower him. Those things surprised him about her but delighted him as well. She slowly allowed him to help her let down her hair and unwind from her huge responsibilities at GD. And she loved being able to take care of someone again and share things without it feeling like a bother. They spent lots of time joking around and hanging out, basically getting to know each other again, each in their own way. Despite the circumstances, it felt new and exciting.

But they kept things extremely quiet, both because of the inevitable gossip that all small towns succumb to but also because they wanted time to savor and define things without the judgement of others factoring into it. And they both had to admit that it was fun sneaking around. No one was any the wiser, not their colleagues at work with the exception of Carter and Allison, and also Zoe since Jo had wanted to make sure it was truly ok that she was dating her ex-crush. People just thought their catty banter was business as usual without the bite that it had before Zane decided to behave himself and Jo toned down the ice queen routine. But he still seemed to be the incredibly sexy, irreverent genius who flirted with anyone and everyone and she regulated with a hair trigger iron fist. Little did anyone know that the two had planned many clandestine encounters over the past few months. And it helped to be a high profile trickster and chief of security when sneaking around.

It was that wonderful time of being smitten and thinking that you might be in love, one in awe because they had done it before and the other in awe because he might get her to do it again.

And now they got to sit on her couch in front of a roaring fire and hold each other over a couple of mugs of hot chocolate, her looking an adorably sexy mix of comfort and sensuality and him looking at her with the perfect combination of smug affection. This was a new life for them both and it was a pretty damn good one.

As soon as he had thoroughly ravished her, he tucked her into his embrace and prompted her to drink her hot chocolate before it got cold. "I saw you on the phone and didn't want to interrupt. Are you ok?"

Jo snuggled into him comfortably and took another drink of her half empty beverage. He had changed into his own flannel pants and t-shirt. But his feet were bare as usual. He tolerated her love of a warm house but didn't let her forget that he was used to a colder climate. "Yeah, I'm great actually. It was my brother, Adam. It was good to hear from him - and to hear that my other brothers are doing ok." Zane kissed the top of her head and then sipped at his own drink.

"Good," he replied. They sat in silence watching the fire for long moments, she caressing him every now and again and he playing absentmindedly with the strap of her top. "My present looks good on you, you know. I think I've got good taste."

He could feel her chuckling into his chest. "You always had good taste when it comes to lingerie. It's one of the more suspicious things about you." He laughed at her insinuation and moved to place her empty mug on the coffee table alongside his. He glanced over at her quickly before setting back down. "Nice of Santa to bring me Springsteen tickets, don't you think?" His tone was innocent but Jo knew better.

"It sounds like a pretty generous gift," she offered trying to keep her tone neutral. Zoe finding her out was one thing but she couldn't have all her secrets revealed so easily. "I could look into it if you want, you know, for security reasons." Zane rolled his eyes at her. "I'm sure that won't be necessary. I'll just accept it for the Christmas miracle it was. It really was an amazing gift," he said giving her an extra squeeze. He knew full well she was the one playing fairy godmother to a select few residents of the town. But if she wanted to keep a few secrets, he supposed he could let her.

Jo looked up at him with a playful, knowing grin but said nothing. "So I heard that you had pretty steamy plans for this evening," she commented, changing the subject. "Anything I should know about?"

His famous smirk made her insides flutter and she could tell from the glint in his eyes that he hadn't been exaggerating one bit. "What do you say we find out JoJo," and before she could even register his actions, he swept her up and headed towards the bedroom, peppering her with kisses the entire way.

When they had first made love, it had been intense. They both felt an awkwardness, for very different reasons, but in some ways it made them more bold with each other. They had to learn each other as if it were truly the first time and while it hadn't been the fodder of romance novels, it had been intense and loving and just right for them. But now they were becoming practiced in the pleasures of the other and they had to admit that it was a fun time.

Zane quickly divested her of her flannel pajama pants wanting to see the matching panties he knew were underneath. When he was feeling playful, he would tease her mercilessly without ever removing her lingerie. He was intent enough that Jo was willing to deem it a fetish, not that he seemed the least bit put off by the accusation. But there were those times when his patience wouldn't allow him to savor how amazing she looked in satin and lace. And to be fair, Jo was quite taken with his muscled physique and never tired of running her hands over his body to feel how solid he was against her.

What she loved most though was to kiss him until he smiled at her in that cocky, but completely adoring way that melted her insides and made her believe that she could fall in love again. She wanted so much for that and was starting to think that he may want it too.

They mingled lips and tongues and breath with abandon knowing the pleasures that were sure to follow quickly from their mutual attention. Jo had already pulled off his shirt but when Zane ran his fingers underneath the hem of her camisole, she knew it was going to be one of his more impatient nights. His body on top of hers moved with the kind of rhythm that made no secret of his intentions. So doing the only thing she felt proper in the situation, she flipped him over onto his back and held his arms down until he was completely at her mercy. Her reward was that insufferable smirk he always saved for her.

"Now Josefina, you wouldn't want to damage your early Christmas present would you?" he delivered with the confidence of someone who wasn't currently being held hostage by a woman who could truly hurt him. Not that she would ever do that and they both knew it. Well, not unless Zane asked nicely...or was a very, very naughty boy.

"I'm sorry," she said seeming anything but as she gently sucked at the juncture of his neck and shoulder. She knew so many of those little tricks that made him forget himself. "You know I get enthusiastic about unwrapping my gifts." She softly kissed him on the lips moving away quickly when he tried to deepen it. He pushed lightly against her hold and she playfully nipped his ear where her lips had come to rest. This only made him more anxious and his not so subtle grinding against her was one way to make his frustration known. "Play nice, Zane," she drawled in his ear sliding her upper body, still clad in her sexy camisole, against his.

Zane gasped and attempted to reach her neck with his mouth so he could exact what little revenge was possible from his position. She tsked him away and continued to pepper him with sultry kisses and nips, tasting whatever parts of him she could reach while still holding him immobile. He groaned in pleasure and frustration wanting her to stop and get on with it but also wanting her to draw things out and let the pulsing heat between them linger.

After giving him the pleasure of her luscious lips once more, he hooked one of his legs around hers to get her attention and looked her directly in the eyes where his naked affection was on display for her to take in. "I'll let you have your way with me tonight," he said breathlessly. "But you know what they say; you break it, you buy it. And, Jo, I wouldn't mind getting broken by you any day of the week."

The sharp intake of her breath was apparent even over their labored gasps from the building up of sexual tension. She loosened her grasp on him enough for him to slid his arms out and encircle her with them. She couldn't take her eyes from his, reeling at the revelation and wondering if it's just all in her head. The hint of commitment that had so scared him from before - and that had so scared her before things changed - was dangling and blatant between them. It cast a spell of silence that was only broken when he brought his lips to hers, again so gently that it took a moment for her to register. His embrace tightened and he once again reversed their positions, pulling her camisole off to reveal her perfect, full breasts to lie between them.

The promise of what he had said remained with them as the intensity of their touch engulfed the other completely. Extraneous clothes were abandoned violently, hair was tousled and sweaty with exertion. Like always, it felt right them being together. Where he pushed she pulled, where he thrust she consumed, and all the while they couldn't register anything except for the sensations the other was allowing. They fought for control and then yielded without explanation or delay. He didn't feel the least bit self-conscious telling her all the things he wanted to do to her in fevered whispers and intermittent kisses. Nor did she care about the boost to his ego when she cried out how good he felt and pleaded for him to give her more. When Jo finally came apart, Zane watched her with wondrous focus. He knew that he was about to lose all control because of her and wanted nothing but to feel the same thing as often as she'd let him. After she surrendered herself to him, she held him as he displayed the trust and abandon she thought she'd never again feel from him. They basked in each other, slick and sated feeling everything they thought truly being in love felt like, yet neither able to express it just yet. That was for later.

The held onto each other entwined and thinking big, personal thoughts. Zane looked down at the woman in his arms, sure that she was feeling everything he was and watching her smile because of it. "I'm jealous of you sometimes," he murmured into the top of her head. In his contented haziness, he let the thought slip before censoring himself. "I'm jealous that you get to feel this all over again." He didn't mean to bring up the thing to which they rarely ever even alluded but it was how he felt.

She didn't pull away like he half expected but continued to gently caress his bare torso as a comfort to him. "It came with a price," she responded quietly. He couldn't deny that and he kissed her softly as if it would make things all better. They lay in silence once more, waiting for sleep to arrive but in no hurry to leave their conscious awareness of the other. "It's different with you though," Jo offered after a while. "I mean, it's different now." He lay there without responding. The questions hung between them, almost on the tip of his tongue to ask but it wasn't what they needed. "It's not … it's just different." Zane nodded even if he couldn't fully understand.

The first time she and Zane were together, he had just come into town and she was still a deputy working with Carter in an easy partnership. His entire experience there was influenced by their relationship in terms of the friends they made and the trouble he didn't get into having her to distract him. This Zane had forged an identity completely separate from her. He was the same guy but he had become a different version in some important ways from the man she had been ready to marry. And to make matters worse, his opinion of her wasn't the blank slate it had been before but was borne of a few years of animosity, fear and bitterness.

But that was all changing and they had both worked hard for it. She closed her eyes and held him a little tighter as if willing him to never leave her embrace. And he wouldn't. He couldn't stand to break her heart again. For once in his life, he'd do his best for the benefit of someone else.

In the morning she'd surprise him with a toasted peanut butter and bacon breakfast and he'd lament that he missed out on the hottest thing he could ever imagine. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing better than the marriage of his two favorite things: bacon and the goddess that is Josefina Lupo. She'll soak in the fact that he's letting her dote on him because despite her tough exterior, the greatest pleasure for her was to nurture and protect the ones she loved. He would playfully feed her her sensible breakfast of yogurt and fruit before she chides him for making a complete mess in her bed and orders him to the showers.

Of course, it wouldn't be a proper holiday celebration if she didn't join him.

Later on they'd gather up their gifts and pay Jack, Allison and the rest of the Blake-Stark-Carter family a visit before Zane and Jo drove Zoe to the airport to visit her mom for the New Year's break. And maybe, just maybe they'd deem it time to make an entrance into Cafe Diem holding hands, just to get the town buzzing again.

After all, anything can happen in the town called Eureka.


End file.
